1 Timothy 1

“As I urged you when I went to Macedonia, remain in Ephesus so that you may instruct certain people not to teach different doctrine or to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies.  These promote empty speculations rather than God’s plan, which operates by faith.”  1 Timothy 1:3-5 (HCSB)

There are a growing number of churches that have adopted a diminished view of “calling.”  That is to say, they don’t believe that God cares what you do with your life as long as you’re not pursuing sin.  I don’t understand how that theology is supported Biblically.

When I read the Bible, the concept I see being reinforced is the theology of “calling.”  That is, God calls people personally, to specific places, to minister to specific people with a specific message for a specific amount of time.  If there were no “calling,” why would anyone suffer for the gospel?  We would simply avoid the uncomfortable, following the ministry path of least resistance.  Why suffer if God doesn’t care about the details of your life choices?  

God beckons us to a certain salvation from a certain hell.  He equips us with certain gifts and calls us to certain places to deliver certain messages to certain people.  We labor with  certain hope that our work will be certainly completed by His Spirit.  “Calling” compels us to go.  Calling emboldens us to persevere, enduring hardship.  Calling ensures victory through the power of His Spirit.   And “calling” is not just for pastors.  It encompasses ALL believers.  We are all called, and God has specific plans for each of us.

Let’s examine Timothy’s calling:

Certain place:  He was dispatched to Ephesus.

Certain time frame: He was told to stay there.

Certain people: He was to speak to the church leaders in Ephesus who had strayed from Paul’s teaching.

Certain message:  He was to command the church leaders to get back on track.

Certain hope:  With correct instruction applied over time, the congregation members would develop loving hearts, good consciences, and sincere faith.

There is a story of a fashion designer notorious for mending clothes backstage at her New York runway shows.  When asked why she didn’t assign the task of mending to a junior designer, she smartly replied, “Because it’s my name on the tag.”

God cares enough to call us into salvation and His service.  We bear His name.  God cares about your choices because His name is on your life.